DTM™

Global Counter-Terrorism Institute™

PQE SUITE

SPECIFICATION

AES → Post-Quantum Cryptography Migration Specification

Classical-to-PQC algorithm mapping, three-tier migration plan, and system-by-system compliance tracker for the GCTI/DTM ecosystem.

Active PQ Key Pairs

Active Connections

Hybrid PQ Connections

Active Client Keys

Verified Audit Events

Current State Inventory — Classical → PQC Algorithm Mapping

Every classical algorithm currently in use across the GCTI/DTM ecosystem is mapped below to its NIST-approved post-quantum replacement. The hybrid classical+PQ mode (X25519+ML-KEM-768) serves as the transition default until full PQ-only certification is achieved.

Classical Algorithm	Type	PQC Replacement	FIPS Standard	NIST Level	Purpose
AES-256-GCM	Symmetric Encryption	ML-KEM-768	FIPS 203	NIST-3	Symmetric key encapsulation for data-at-rest and data-in-transit
ECDH-P384	Key Exchange	ML-KEM-1024	FIPS 203	NIST-5	Key establishment for TLS 1.3 and IPSec connections
X25519	Key Exchange	ML-KEM-1024	FIPS 203	NIST-5	Ephemeral key exchange for TLS 1.3 sessions
RSA-4096	Digital Signature	ML-DSA-65 / ML-DSA-87	FIPS 204	NIST-3 / NIST-5	Code signing, API key signing, certificate signing
SHA-256 / SHA-384	Hashing / Signing	SLH-DSA-128 / SLH-DSA-256	FIPS 205	NIST-1 / NIST-5	Hash-based signatures, document integrity, audit trail signing
Hybrid: X25519 + ML-KEM-768	Transition Default	X25519Kyber768Draft	FIPS 203 (draft hybrid)	NIST-3	Transitional hybrid classical+PQ key exchange for all new TLS connections

Migration Notes

AES-256-GCM→ML-KEM-768

AES-256-GCM remains quantum-resistant for encryption; ML-KEM-768 replaces the key exchange mechanism that protects the AES session key.

ECDH-P384→ML-KEM-1024

ECDH-P384 is vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm; ML-KEM-1024 provides NIST Level 5 post-quantum key encapsulation.

X25519→ML-KEM-1024

X25519 is the current default for Cloudflare and most TLS endpoints; migrates to ML-KEM-1024 in hybrid mode (X25519+ML-KEM-768) during transition.

RSA-4096→ML-DSA-65 / ML-DSA-87

RSA-4096 signatures are breakable by CRQC; ML-DSA-65 (NIST-3) for standard systems, ML-DSA-87 (NIST-5) for classified-grade workloads.

SHA-256 / SHA-384→SLH-DSA-128 / SLH-DSA-256

SHA-2 hash functions remain quantum-resistant; SLH-DSA provides stateless hash-based digital signatures for long-term archival integrity.

Hybrid: X25519 + ML-KEM-768→X25519Kyber768Draft

Defense-in-depth: maintains classical security while adding post-quantum protection. This is the GCTI transition default until full PQ-only mode is certified.